Barenaked Ladies’ keyboardist suing in what may be the biggest art forgery case in Canadian history According to a lingering — but never proven — accusation in the Canadian art world, there is a well-organized band of forgers in Thunder Bay, Ont., who have spent more than a decade churning out a lucrative supply of fakes in the style of Norval Morrisseau, arguably Canada’s most famous Aboriginal artist. If true, it could well signal one of the largest cases of art fraud in Canadian history. National Post, February 5, 2014

Regina

Performatorium 2014: Queering the Prairies – Canadian Art Performatorium, Regina’s festival of queer performance, officially held its third edition a few weeks ago—perhaps its most ambitious yet. As artistic director Gary Varro articulated in his welcome statement, “This year’s festival brings together a wide range of performances that address spirituality • persona • transformation • transcendence • ritual • ecstasy – and in doing so creates an immersive experience for performers and audience alike. Canadian Art, February 5, 2014

Presidio Asks Filmmaker to Try Again The trust overseeing the Presidio, after rejecting a proposal by George Lucas to build an art museum, is asking him to consider other sites there. New York Times, February 6, 2014

Understanding America’s Progress Towards Giving Artists Royalties On Resales “When supporters of resale royalties in the US seek to advance their arguments, they usually look to other countries for supporting evidence—starting with France, which originated droit de suite in 1920 and now works on the EU model of a sliding scale up to 4%, capped at €12,500. They tend to overlook the California act.” The Art Newspaper, February 6, 2014

Why I Nailed My Scrotum to Red Square “He has wrapped himself in barbed wire, sewn his lips shut and caused the world to wince with his now-infamous stunt in Moscow. As the Russian authorities circle around Petr Pavlensky, the protest artist explains why he’s not afraid. The Guardian, February 5, 2014

Istanbul

Istanbul’s Tribute to the Frick The normally staid world of late Ottoman painting and Islamic calligraphic art will soon experience the “wow” factor, with the construction of a Zaha Hadid–designed museum on the banks of Istanbul’s Golden Horn. The building, an off-centre cube supported by a single column, is the brainchild of Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan and her husband, Cengiz Çetindoğan. It will provide a permanent home for a private collection belonging to the Demsa Group—the Çetindoğans’ family-run conglomerate, with investments spanning luxury fashion, television stations, and hotels—exceeding 2,000 works of art. ARTnews, February 3, 2014

Jerusalem

Dead Sea Scrolls 2.0: A Hugely Expanded Digital Archive “The upgraded website includes 10,000 new multispectral images, extra manuscript descriptions, content translated into Russian and German in addition to the current languages, a faster search engine, and easy access from the site to the Facebook page and to Twitter.” The Guardian, February 4, 2014

Afghanistan

UNESCO Stops Unauthorized Reconstruction of Bamiyan Buddhas “The international community has reacted furiously to news that a German-led team of archaeologists has been reconstructing the feet and legs of the smaller of the two Bamiyan Buddhas, the monumental Afghan sculptures blown up by the Taliban in 2001.” The Art Newspaper, February 5, 2014